Visitor Studies

EPE TIG Week: Testing Ways to Inspire Conservation Action by Shuli Rank

Hi everyone, my name is Shuli Rank and I’m a Research and Evaluation Associate at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). WCS runs the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, New York Aquarium, Prospect Park Zoo, and Queens Zoo, and conducts local and global conservation and research activities in 16 priority regions around the world. The focus …

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LAWG Week: Great Lakes, Great Data: COVES implementation at The Great Lakes Science Center by Scott Vollmer

Hi, I’m Scott Vollmer, VP of STEM Learning at Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) in Cleveland, Ohio.  I am passionate about my work and find that evaluation data is especially useful when trying to express my passion objectively. Since July 2017, we have been using COVES (the Collaboration for Ongoing Visitor Experience Studies) to collect …

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BISE Week: Using the Visitor Studies Association to Engage Evaluators in Research on Evaluation

Hi! I’m Sarah Cohn, Association Manager for the Visitor Studies Association (VSA). VSA and I are a part of the Building Informal Science Education project (BISE). In this post, I’ll share information about VSA and how the Association supported the BISE project. Lessons Learned: VSA served as a platform for the BISE project to engage with …

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BISE Week: Amy Grack Nelson on Introducing the Building Informal Science Education Project

Hi! I’m Amy Grack Nelson, Evaluation & Research Manager at the Science Museum of Minnesota. I’m part of a really cool National Science Foundation-funded project called Building Informal Science Education, or as we like to refer to it – BISE. The BISE project is a collaboration between the University of Pittsburgh, the Science Museum of …

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R Londhe on Networked Technology as an Embedded Assessment Tool in Museum Settings

I am Rucha Londhe, a Research Associate/Project Manager at Goodman Research Group, Inc., a research company that specializes in evaluation of programs, materials, and services. I recently evaluated Black Holes Exhibit Gallery (BHEG) – a traveling exhibit on black holes and the accompanying materials produced by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), which aimed at engaging …

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Ioana Munteanu on Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Policy and Analysis

Hello everyone. My name is Ioana Munteanu, and I am a Social Science Analyst with the Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Policy and Analysis. The Smithsonian consists of 19 Museums and the National Zoo; 9 Research Centers; and many other centers, programs and projects. Central to the Office of Policy and Analysis mission is to assist …

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VSA Week: Kathleen Tinworth on An Introduction to Visitor Studies Online

Hey there. My name is Kathleen Tinworth and I am the Director of Visitor Research & Program Evaluation at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. It’s my pleasure to finish up the week of visitor studies posts. For many of you AEA365 readers, this week was the first time you’d ever heard of visitor …

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VSA Week: Ellenbogen on Evaluating Identity Development in Informal Learning Environments

My name is Kirsten Ellenbogen. I’m Director of Research & Evaluation at the Science Museum of Minnesota and President of the Visitor Studies Association.  I hope you’re enjoying VSA Week on AEA365. Rad Resource: Development of individual identity has for some time been considered an outcome of informal learning environment experiences. But identity has recently …

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VSA Week: Carey Tisdal on Practical Applications of Theory

Hi! I’m Carey Tisdal, Director of Tisdal Consulting, an independent firm that evaluates informal learning environments. Informal learning environments include museums (art, history, science, and children’s museums), science-technology centers, zoos, aquaria, parks, television, and radio. I worked as an internal evaluator for nine years and for six as an external evaluator. Recently, field-building and professional …

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VSA Week: Cheryl Kessler on Visitor Studies Evaluation Methods

My name is Cheryl Kessler and I am an independent consultant doing visitor studies. I conduct program and exhibit evaluations in museums and libraries to understand what and how visitors/users learn from their experiences, what they might do with that information, and how new information is integrated with existing knowledge. My Visitor Studies Week blog …

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